Discussion Board

Topic: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Jeremy Lindstrand
Location: Sacramento, CA
Date: 04/08/2010

It has been all over the internet that James Cameron waited over a decade to attempt production of his ambitious Avatar movie due to the pace of computer graphics technology development. Now that it seems that ever cheaper yet visually stunning movie effects are available, is there a possibility of seeing Blood Music or possibly Forge of God making the move to the small or big screens? The size of Blood Music might make a decent theater transition and I could definitely see Forge of God making an amazing miniseries for a network willing to spend the money and effort on such a project. Are there any talks in place for any of your fiction to be seen on screen?

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Greg Bear
Date: 04/10/2010

Projects still in the works include FORGE OF GOD/ANVIL OF STARS. The technology is certainly there, but not necessarily cheap... yet! AVATAR pushes the bar on visuals, and that raises costs for everybody as they try to keep up.

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Jeremy Lindstrand
Location: Sacramento, CA
Date: 04/10/2010

Thank you for the response Mr. Bear. I am thrilled to hear about the talks involving Forge of God/Anvil of Stars as it's one of my favorite Sci-Fi series. I've them multiple times over the years and it would be very nice to see your creative vision on film. Hopefully the talks are successful and lead to more of your wonderful books being adapted. Let me add that along with Forge of God, Blood Music, Eon and Psychlone have provided me with countless hours of reading enjoyment over the years. They are just as entertaining to reread as they were the day I picked them up.

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Darel Robinson
Location: London
Date: 04/17/2010

Forget the special effects, Forge of God is a story about people. Granted some work would have to be done about the finale (I won't give it away in case there are any poor people who haven't yet read this marvel) but that could be done conventionally, by which I mean with models and the like. Sure CGI may be simpler to work with on an ongoing basis, but some of my favourite films are ones where Ray Harryhausen worked his magic. Ok you could see it was stop motion, but with a modicum of imagination (which I hope most SF fans have) one can suspend any disbeleif and enjoy the plot, just my twopennyworth. Keep writing Greg, I'm onto Vitals right now, but Forge and Anvil are still my favourites.

Are movie adaptations the goal?

From: Keith Greene
Location: South Bend, IN
Date: 05/03/2010

These days, is writing a book the ultimate goal, or a means to a hopeful end - a movie adaptation? In other words, are novelists creating film manuscripts disguised as books?

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Michael Gue
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Date: 05/07/2010

I would much prefer to see a film adaptation of EON myself. I got so psyched when I saw CGISociety doing an Eon film trailer.

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Greg Bear
Date: 05/07/2010

We're into negotiations with good directors. However, these things obviously take time. A very intricate dance! I marvel at the patience, skill, and stamina of producers who shepherd movie projects over the years.

Re: Movie adaptations possible?

From: Greg Bear
Date: 05/07/2010

I love stop motion and Ray Harryhausen, obviously, and I do share a liking for photographing real objects... But the kind of work necessary for ANVIL OF STARS puts it squarely on CGI, which is neither easier to do, nor cheaper. But CGI has expanded the range of what can be done on film almost infinitely. Take a look at CLOVERFIELD... A marvel of medium budget creativity and barely-seen beasts.

Are movie adaptations the goal?

From: Greg Bear
Date: 05/07/2010

Some writers have a knack for doing both well. Jack Finney and Stephen King and Richard Matheson pop immediately to mind. But the shorter the novel, the easier the transition!

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